Talladega Jack Link’s 500 Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Rankings / Post Practice Predictions
On Sunday, get out your good luck charm, because NASCAR will be racing at Talladega for the Jack Link’s 500! Talladega is NASCAR’s biggest (2.66-miles), wildest and most chaotic track. Drivers can get wrecked while leading, just as easily as they can be while running in the pack.
No practices were held for Talladega and qualifying was rained out. Here’s the Talladega Starting Lineup.
Talladega Jack Link’s 500 Full Field Fantasy Rankings
1) Brad Keselowski
Start 6th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Talladega Outlook – 6-time Talladega winner, Brad Keselowski is a super-elite big superspeedway performer and on Sunday, he’ll be looking to get back to victory lane and be tough to beat. This race is circled on his schedule and there’s no question he’ll be going all out for the win and perhaps take out a couple of other drivers along the way. At Talladega, Keselowski has finished in the top ten in 4 of the last 6 races and that’s highlighted by a pair of runner-ups in 2024. Going further back over the last ten races, Keselowski has 4 top 2’s and 6 top 10’s. Last fall, Keselowski finished 10th, had the 3rd best average running position (11.5), earned the 5th best Driver Rating and led 7 laps. Last spring, Keselowski had a short race and finished 36th after crashing coming to pit road on lap 43. In 2024, Keselowski had a pair of 2nd’s. In fall 2024, Keselowski raced his way to the front in closing time, but he just didn’t have the help he needed at the end and finished 2nd. In spring 2024, Keselowski nearly notched his 7th win but on the last lap, McDowell came across the nose of the #6 doing dumb blocking and that cost Keselowski the win. In fall 2023, Keselowski won Stage #2, led 5 laps but crashed on lap 162 while he was back in the 20’s after giving Hocevar a push which doomed him to a 32nd. In spring 2023, Keselowski finished 5th.
DraftKings $8,600/ FanDuel $10,500
Further Recommended Reading = Talladega Projected Finish Ranges, DraftKings Talladega Scoring Projections, FanDuel Talladega Scoring Projections, Talladega Quick Rankings, Talladega Next Gen Average Finishes
2) Joey Logano
Start 25th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Talladega Outlook – 3-time Talladega winner, Joey Logano’s one of the premiere big superspeedway performers and in the Talladega Jack Link’s 500, the road to victory lame might very well go thru the #22. When it comes to superspeedway racing, Logano is arguably the best in the business. He’s always up front and is hard to get around. That said, the results column has largely been quite ugly for him recently, but he hasn’t lacked when it comes to “Performance.” Since 2024 at big superspeedways, Logano has a 22.3 average finish (crediting him with a 5th last spring at Talladega) but over that same stretch, Logano has the best Driver Rating and the best average running position. That said, the results column is ultimately what matters and in 11 of the last 12 Talladega races, he’s finished 16th or worse. Last fall, Logano was one of the best but finished 16th. In the race, Logano led the most laps (35), earned the best Driver Rating, had the best average running position but late in the race during the last green flag run, Logano was just stuck running the bottom groove and he slowly faded back. Last spring, Logano looked great and actually avoided trouble for a change but in post-race inspection, he was DQ’ed which led to his 39th. In the race, Logano crossed the finish line in 5th, had the best average running position (7th), led the 2nd most laps (24) and earned the 2nd best Driver Rating. In fall 2024, Logano looked great but crashed and finished 33rd. In the race, Logano led 19 laps, was running in 5th with 5 to go but then that very lap he crashed in the “Cindric Big One.” In spring 2024, Logano won Stage #2, led the 2nd most laps (22) but was then just a non-factor late and finished 19th.
DraftKings $10,000/ FanDuel $13,500
3) William Byron
Start 7th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium
Talladega Outlook – 3-time big superspeedway winner, William Byron is an elite superspeedway performer who’ll be a factor in the Talladega Jack Link’s 500. Byron’s never won here but he’s flirted with victory lane. In 3 of the last 5 races he’s finished in the top 3, and if he wasn’t spun out on the last lap last fall while running in 5th, Byron would currently have 6 straight top tens. Since 2023 minus last fall, Byron has a 4.4 average finish, and he’s had a result in the top 7 every race. In the Next Gen era, Byron ranks #1 for average finish (9.3) and #1 for Driver Rating. Last fall, Byron was poised to walk away with a great finish but on the last lap while running in 5th, he was spun and that then doomed him to a 25th. In the race, Byron finished 4th in Stage #2 and consistently ran near the front when the trophy was on the line. Last spring, Byron had a strong showing. In the race, Byron finished 2nd in Stage #1, finished 3rd overall, led 10 laps and earned the 9th best Driver Rating. In fall 2024, Byron dodged the mayhem, finishing 3rd in Stage #1, 4th in Stage #2 and then finished 3rd overall. In spring 2024, Byron had a solid race and finished 7th, after making a mad dash to the front with two to go from 17th. In 2023, Byron had results of 2nd and 7th. When it comes to pure big superspeedway racing prowess, Byron ranks among the premiere performers and since 2024, Byron has 2-wins and the best average finish (11.0).
DraftKings $9,800/ FanDuel $11,500
